Little Flame
by Little Tangled Mermaid Lover
Summary: Set two years after The Search: Azula now slightly more sae. Is getting help from her brother. but what happens when she finds a mysterious little girl. Wiss this child be the key to getting her on the right path. Azula redemption fic
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my first ATLA fanfic. Sorry if the characters are a little OOC but Ive only watched a few episodes. Review and I'll keep going. I love this show cause I'm completely blind in right eye and half blind in my left. So I love Toph!**

* * *

Fire Princess Azula, now somewhat cured, walks through the palace gardens. The warm air making it look peaceful. She walks until she hears rustling in the bushes.  
"What in Agni's name is going on?" she whispers narrowing her golden eyes. She takes slow, quiet, steps towards the bush.

There asleep among the red flowers lay a girl who was maybe six at the most. her pale pink lips smiled sweetly under a small button nose, perfectly curled eyelashes rested on her rosy cheeks. Ivory skin revealed itself through her faded red dress's tatters. Her hair was the most remarkable thing about the child Azula mused, Unlike a normal Fire Nation citizen who all had black, or dark brown hair, this child had long beautiful golden brown waves that fell down to her small elbows.

Just a few years ago Azula would've burnt the child for falling asleep in her presence. Now though She gently scoops the child up into her arms. Taking one last look at the blue sky, the Older Princess walks through the halls, Her expensive red and gold boots clicking on the white tile floor.

"Azula?" A voice calls. Letting out an annoyed breath the Princess turned to see Zuzu walk towards her.  
"Azula what is that?" Fire Lord Zuko asks looking down at the strange child.  
"It's a child Zuzu" Azula replies "Are you so stupid you can't comprehend that?"  
She bats her eyes and flashes him an innocent smile. He in turn frowns and shakes his head.

"Just don't hurt her" he whispers looking down at the angel faced child.  
"Oh I wouldn't dream of it" Azula says a smirk making it's way to her lips "Mother may have thought me a monster, But I will not let this child suffer that same fate. She's Mine now"  
"Azula!" He calls back after his shock had melted. She ignores him and keeps walking down the long hallways.  
"Don't worry" she whispers placing the child in her own bed. "You will be My child now"

As if agreeing the young child unconsciously snuggles under the warm blankets and holds the Princess's hand.  
"You won't think I'm a monster too. Will you?" she asks the sleeping child. Paranoia sweeps it's way onto the Princess.  
Then again why should she care so much about what a mere child thought about her, Azula, Princess of the fire Nation? Taking one last look at the child she does the breathing exercising the Shrink Zuzu hired, had taught her.

She was not completely cured but She had made progress. and After what happened with Mother two years ago, well she's going on the right path.  
"You!" she snaps as a servant passes her chambers. "Bring a tray of food to me at once"  
"Yes, Princess" the old chrome says bowing and hurriedly walking away.  
Smirking to herself that she got to make the annoying woman jump, Azula turns back to the child.

Her long waves are left loose instead of the usual topknot. It's tangled and dirty she notices, A beam of light falls solely on the child making her look even more perfect than Azula had imagined before.

If there was one thing Azula strived for it was perfection. Without it she'd slip back into insanity. Now that she has almost nothing perhaps this Perfect child is the key to putting her life back together.  
The old servant comes back and places the tray of food on a table.  
The sound of the door closing spooks the young girl. She sits up and takes in her surroundings. The room has red wallpaper with gold accents, gold, and wood furniture and fine carpets. She scrunches her small eyebrows together. Where is she?

"Hello" a voice says. Azula's golden eyes lock onto the young child's.  
That earlier comment about the girl's hair being her most striking thing was wrong (no matter how much Azula hated to admit it). The most remarkable thing about the young girl is her eyes. They're an exotic blue green, like the sea.

"Hi" the child smiles. Her bright eyes and sweet, innocent demeanor equal to, if not higher, than Ty Lee's  
"My name is Azula, though you probably already knew that," The woman says "What is your name"  
"A-zula?" The child repeats the strange name.  
"You've never heard about me?" Azula asks trying to hide her shock. "Do you know Zuko?"  
"No" The younger girl says shaking her hair

Now it's Azula's turn to scrunch her eyebrows together. What citizen didn't even know about their leader?  
"Where are you from Child?" Azula asks slowly.  
"In the small house with Aunt and cousins-" she says trying to remember "On the outskirts of the big city"  
"The Capital" Azula corrects, "Is there a bit stone man there?"  
"Uh huh" The child smiles bouncing excitedly "With big fire nets"  
"Near the Gates of Azulon" she mutters to herself "Did they not teach you? Did you go to school?"  
"No" the child says shaking her head. A tear falls down her small face "Auntie Chhaya, wouldn't let me. But she let Damini, and Deepti go. "

"Are they your cousins?" Azula asks. The child nods.  
"Auntie doesn't like me," she says softly "But she loves them."  
"What's your name?" Azula asks again holding the little girl's hands.  
"She calls me Brat," the girl answers.  
"That's not a name" Azula says her heart sinking. "You need a proper name Little One"  
She thinks for a moment. What name would suit he child best. _Perhaps Hikari, Meaning Light, or Atsuko, Warm, kind , girl? Azula didn't know. There was Tanvi, meaning Delicate girl…._

"What about Atsuko Hikari, but for short we'll call you Kari" Azula asks after a pause.  
"I like that" the child says smiling once more.  
"Why were you alone outside?" Azula asks.  
"Auntie hit me real bad, and called me names" Kari says. "Then she took the whip off the wall… I was a bad girl for asking for food. I ran away so I wouldn't be a burden"

Azula's eyes widened. All the child wanted was a meal, and to instead she got punished! She truly believed that she was a bad girl, and ran away so she wouldn't cause Her Aunt Problems? The older Princess looked down at Her child's arms and saw bruises lining them. A great rage filled the Princess's heart.

"What kind of names?" she asks in a dangerously calm voice.  
"Useless, freak, and Monster" the child whispers.

That last one hits home for Azula and she gets up.  
"Kari, I'll be right back. Stay here alright?" she says to the child who nods. "I'll have a servant come feed you"

As she walks to Zuzu's office she thinks of how delicious it will be to crush that horrid aunt, To strike lightning onto anyone who **dare** hurt Little Kari. To watch their blood spill, as they gasp for breath.

"Zula?" Zuko asks seeing his little sister. "What's wrong?"  
"What's wrong?" Azula repeats slamming her hands on the desk. "I want that woman Dead! She Deserves no mercy! I mean it Zuko! She hit Kari! She should be banished or fed to the Sea serpent!"  
"Azula slow down" Zuko says holding her hands "Deep breathes…that's it."  
"Better?" He asks and she nods. "Now who's Kari"  
"Kari is the name of your new niece now pay attention" Azula says. "Her Aunt is a wicked creature who does not deserve to breathe let alone have such a wonderful child. She made the girl stay home, beat her, and called names. Horrible names, Names like-" she stops there and looks up at Zuko.

"Like Monster" He finishes giving her hand a little squeeze. "Okay Azula, I'll send out my men to have her arrested"  
"You Will?" She asks a gleeful smirk on her face. "But why?"  
"You called me Zuko" He says wiping her tears. "I know you never call me that unless it's important Baby Sis"  
"Yes, well" She says letting go of his hands. "I must go and see Kari"

With that she walks back down the hallway. For once A genuine smile lights up her face as she dreams and Imagines about her new life with The sweet little angel faced girl known as Kari.

* * *

 **What'd ya think? Please review I need feedback. Whoever reviews gets to decide what happens in a chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Azula" she hears the child sob. gritting her teeth The older Princess runs into her room.  
"What is going on here!" she says barely keeping calm. Her eyes glare at the servant.  
"Azula" the child sobs reaching her small arms up towards the princess.  
Her blue green eyes looking even more like the sea with her tears. Without hesitation the Fire Princess scoops up the child in her arms. The little girl wraps her arms around the woman's neck and cries softly into her shoulder.  
"You did this!" Azula yells at the servant resisting the strong urge to send blue flames at the wont's head "I don't know what you did, but you will pay! If you ever hurt this child again I will Burn you to a crisp and throw your ashes to the sea serpent!"

Trembling the poor woman leaves. Azula still holding the child sits on her large plush bed and rubs the sobbing child's back.  
"There.. There.." she says awkwardly. In all honesty she doesn't know what she's doing. "You're alright Kari, My Kari, I've got you. You probably think I'm a monster for the way I yelled just now"  
"No" Kari's little voice says she wipes her tears and looks up at Azula. "Your not a monster. The lady was. She kept saying how I was nothing and you were gonna throw me out, or kill me. But I like you Azula"

She looks up at the Princess not with Fear or pity. but with admiration and pure unconditional love.  
"You do?" Azula asks her voice barely above a whisper.  
"I don't remember my Mommy, but if she's alive, I want her to be like you" Kari says hugging the Princess once more.

Tears threaten to fall from Azula's eyes, but instead she hugs the child closer and strokes her hair. She wants to scoff and say something along the lines of "well what do I care what you think" but instead she just holds Kari on her lap.  
"Don't cry, Little Flame" Azula says allowing herself a moment of weakness. It was a rear occurrence when she would allow her mask to slip. But when she sees Kari's little face, something strange passes over her, she gets this warm, tingly, feeling in her cheat. They stay just like this for a while, the only sound is their breathing.

"You must eat" Azula says cooly. Her mask back on for now. Kari nods and hops of Azula's lap, and gently grabs the chopsticks.  
"Do you know how to use these?" Azula asks standing behind the child.  
"no, Will you teach me?" Kari asks.  
"here hold them like this,"Azula says holding Kari's hand in her own and holding the chopsticks.  
"Yes, exactly" She says proudly watching as Kari gets the hang of it.

"You must be a very intelligent girl" Azula comments looking at the young girl, Her golden brown hair matted and dirty, it hung down to her elbow in tangles. her gown as mentioned before, is tattered and much too small for her, it was once a fine satin gown but now it was full of holes, it's once long sleeves now looking like a tank top that hung down the girl's shoulders, the skirt once long and puffy, now hangs in so many strands it looked like it was made of grass.

"Once you finish your meal, I want to go outside to do a few thets" Azula says.  
"tests why?"Kari asks a noodle dangling form the corner of her mouth adorably.  
"I just want to see what you know and don't know so i can teach you" Azula assures the child.  
Soon the child leaves behind an empty plate and both walk hand in hand out towards the sunset.


	3. Chapter 3

Azula leads Kari into the front courtyard by the large white steps that lead to the double doors of the palace  
."First we must see if you can bend," Azula says looking down at the child.  
"I can bend," Kari smiles innocently as she bends backwards into a back handspring  
"No Kari," Azula says letting a laugh, a genuine laugh, escape her lips.  
The Fire Princess shakes her head and smiles despite herself.  
"Bending like this," She says producing a small blue flame above her palm.  
"Oh that," Kari says standing up normally. The small child runs over to Azula and concentrates.  
Azula watches as the child's hands produce a small lavender flame.  
The princess's amber eyes widen. _What in Agni's name…_

"Like that Azula?" Kari asks looking up at the kind woman with her unusual eyes.

The Princess's mouth is suddenly very dry. _I've never seen anything like it..._ she thinks to herself.

Kari meanwhile shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. She doesn't like the silence and the way the woman who took her in was looking at her.

"I'm sorry," She says quickly. Suddenly Azula feels the child's little arms around her legs as she begins to sob and beg not to be Punished.

Azula's amber eyes widen as she tries to comprehend the sobbing child's words. Servants halt and look at the scene interested in what the Princess will do next.

"shh, Kari," Azula says hoping her voice doesn't shake, "Don't cry my Little Flame, Shh now, No one will punish you; not while I am here to protect you,"

Zuko watches from the window as his Baby Sister kneels on the grass and uncharacteristically embraces toe sobbing girl in her arms.

"You're doing well Sis," He whispers as his heart swells with pride. "Mom would be very proud of you."


End file.
